Twelve entrepreneurial pitch winners who advanced from local pitch competitions hosted by collaborative local partners will vie for additional prize money at a regional pitch competition hosted by New North Inc. The NEW Launch Alliance Pitch Event will take place on Nov. 30 at 5 p.m. at TitletownTech in Green Bay.
The 12 participants will have a chance for broader investor attention, along with prize money of $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second place and $500 for third place. The top winners will be invited to give an update to an even wider investor/business audience during the New North Summit on June 6, 2024, at Lambeau Field.
While there is no charge to attend the NEW Launch Alliance Pitch Event, registration is requested and available at https://tinyurl.com/NEWLaunchPitch2023.
“We were excited by the wide range of creative business ideas shown at these local pitch events,” Barb LaMue, president and CEO of New North Inc, said in a statement. “It demonstrates the vibrancy of the entrepreneurial community across the New North region. We extend our sincere gratitude to TitletownTech for being the location sponsor, CLA as our reception sponsor, WBD for its financial sponsorship of the local and regional award funds, and Headway for its application-platform technology.”
Twelve local partnering organizations hosted six different pitch events during Startup Week in Wisconsin. First-place winners at the local events received $1,000 cash, while second-place finishers were given $500 each.
In all, 39 entrepreneurial pitches were made during the local qualifying events in collaboration with 10 local partners. These events – Accelerate Sheboygan County, Audible, Envision This, Fast Pitch, LevelUp and Lighthouse Launch – were hosted by the Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation, Greater Green Bay Chamber, Envision Greater Fond du Lac, FVTC Venture Center, Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce, UW Oshkosh SBDC, UW Extension, Progress Lakeshore, Door County Economic Development Corporation and Kewaunee County Economic Development Corporation.
Details of the 12 companies that advanced are as follows:
AMW Arts, presented by Arianna McCormick-Wilson: Educates the local community in the value of art, both monetarily and in enriching people’s lives. It specializes in education, commissioned two-dimensional art, with a market towards seniors and retirees.
Bodhi Bow Wow LLC, presented by Quentin Wood: Provides services to pet dog owners with the focus on teaching people to train their dogs, using behavior modification as opposed to behavior management, and utilizes humane training techniques to give clients a better relationship with their dogs. It also provides walking, boarding and limited grooming for established clients.
Food FIXR, presented by Grace Hameister: A Food as Medicine HealthTech company, it seeks to reclaim the health of people and the planet, one informed bite at a time, believing that Food as Medicine is a right for all and when given the right choices optimal health can be as easy as a trip to the grocery store and not the pharmacy.
HeyGov, Inc. – ClerkMinutes, presented by Dustin Overbeck: Digital platform designed to modernize municipal operations by addressing the inefficiencies of handling forms and payments, while increasing user experience. This platform offers a reliable solution to streamline workflows, reduce errors and save time.
Kids in Combat Boots, presented by Deanne Herber: Recognizes military children for their service to our country with a sustained recognition program, resources and a globally accessible community. It shares military children’s stories in a manner that builds community through common experiences and resources, using a shared network and technology that recognizes students through award accommodation.
Little Sips Play Café, presented by Mikala and Joey DeBone: This play café will serve as a safe, relaxing, educational play space and café for children ages 0-6. The play space will have an age-appropriate and aesthetically-pleasing, modern wooden play structure, as well as activity stations, with a secure gate designed to provide the customers with full view of their children. It also will have a party-planning wing, where dedicated space can be rented out for events, along with providing decorating services.
Molo Asian BBQ, presented by Ping Cheng: Asian restaurant that will provide good healthy food and a unique experience to the community, offering customer involvement in the preparation process right at their table. Currently renovating its building, the space will have a unique customer-experience waiting area, plus displays for social-media posts and family memories.
NEW Compost LLC, presented by Connor Freimuth: Partnering with plant cultivator, the company will maximize profits by utilizing sustainable eco-friendly organic products and methodologies to reduce the need for century-old conventional cultivation practices. It repopulates and sustains a living ecosystem in the soil, marketing to house-plant owners, landscape professionals and local homeowners with outdoor landscape plants/lawns, aspiring towards large-scale agriculture.
Preempt Physical Therapy, LLC, presented by Sara Ziegele: Helps workers recover from costly preventive overuse injuries, educating people on the ‘why’ behind their injuries while translating it to safer, more sustainable work and providing the workforce with powerful education before injuries occur, workdays are lost and employers pay the high price of healthcare. This is done through workplace risk analysis, employee educational seminars and corporate wellness support.
Protean Footwear, presented by Michaela Heling: Combines the advantages of three different pairs of baseball and softball shoes – metal, molded and turf – into one pair, using patent-pending technology. It reduces weight to athletic bags, saves space and lowers costs.
SmartWell, LLC, presented by Christian Timm: Device that transforms a groundwater pump into a smart pump capable of tracking water usage, identifying water leaks, forecasting pump failure and increasing the life of a well through proper water-level management. Its features are made possible through an AI-powered SmartWell device.
Vente Tours, presented by Emily Hubbard: Digital platform to redefine travel by bridging the information that a traveler needs with access to products and services a small business can provide, which may have limited or no online reviews. It connects travelers with local guides who share their interests and values, promoting responsible and community-centric tourism in Wisconsin and beyond.
